GREAT BAY/MARIGOT, St. Martin (June 4, 2026)—Eight writers with books published by House of Nehesi Publishers (HNP) will participate in the 2026 St. Martin Book Fair, with Fabian Adekunle Badejo leading the group as keynote speaker at the Opening Ceremony on June 5 at 7:30 pm at Heritage Village in Spring Garden, Colombier. The eight writers are among about 20 authors, artists, storytellers, and presenters featured at the 23rd edition of the festival, which has grown into one of the Caribbean’s dynamic international literary events. Faizah Tabasamu will conduct her always popular workshop on hair, while Tadzio Bervoets, whose debut…
Author: The Publisher
The influence of colonial structures on environmental governance in the Caribbean was the focus of a presentation by Sint Maarten environmentalist Tadzio Bervoets at the recent Caribbean Studies Association Conference. Presenting on “Conservation Colonialism and the Persistence of Fortress Management in the Dutch and French Caribbean,” Bervoets argued that many conservation systems operating in the Dutch and French Caribbean remain shaped by governance models that concentrate authority outside the region. According to the presentation, these arrangements often limit local decision-making, restrict community participation, and reduce opportunities for Caribbean leadership within environmental institutions. The presentation examined how environmental policies, technical expertise,…
In the run-up to the upcoming hurricane season, the Marine detachment from Sint Maarten participated in Caraïbes ‘26 last week. This is a large-scale, biennial exercise in the Caribbean. The exercise, organized by France, focuses on humanitarian aid and disaster relief operations. During the second phase of Caraïbes, the Marines from Sint Maarten actively participated. The training was based on a realistic scenario: a devastating hurricane had struck the French side of Sint Maarten. In cooperation with French and Colombian troops, the Marines from Sint Maarten located the (simulated) residents and evacuated them to a safe area; both the fast…
GREAT BAY/MARIGOT, St. Martin (June 3, 2026)—St. Martin Unity Flag – Activity Guide (K to Grade 2) and St. Martin Unity Flag – Activity Guide (Grades 3–6), edited by Aishira Cicilia and Shanice Theodule, will be launched at St. Martin Book Fair on Saturday, June 6, at 8 pm during the Main Book Launch & Closing Ceremony at the University of St. Martin (USM). The new publications provide age-appropriate, reader-friendly information about the island’s Unity Flag, along with coloring activities, word and counting games, and opportunities to identify some of St. Martin’s “national” and nature symbols from across both sides of…
HNLMS Groningen has taken over the role of station ship in the Caribbean from HNLMS Friesland. The patrol ship docked in St. Anna Bay in Willemstad this morning. Over the coming months, the ship will be deployed for various safety tasks at sea, such as surveillance, enforcement, and combating illegal activities like drug smuggling. Additionally, it stands ready to provide support during emergency situations, for example during the hurricane season that began this month. The Royal Netherlands Navy has four Holland-class patrol ships. These OPVs (Ocean-Going Patrol Vessels) are flexibly deployable vessels for the surveillance of coastal waters. The station…
~ Statistician’s Report Finds Rising Utility Costs Affecting Household Behavior, Public Confidence and Economic Resilience ~ PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — A newly released technical report prepared by local statistician Shandrika Octavia Peterson, M.Sc. Mathematics & Statistics, has transformed a community electricity survey into one of the most detailed statistical examinations to date of how residents are experiencing electricity affordability and utility reliability in Sint Maarten. Peterson, who holds a Master of Science degree in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Miami, conducted a comprehensive analysis of the 2026 Sint Maarten Community Electricity Survey, an anonymous survey that collected approximately…
Member of Parliament Egbert J. Doran raised concerns based on statements made by Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina in Parliament regarding the approval process for a doctor to practice as a general practitioner in St. Maarten. The Prime Minister stated that the advice before him concerned the denial of an application because the doctor did not have the specialization as a family doctor. He later stated that only four of nineteen general practitioners in St. Maarten have that specialization certificate. MP Doran’s concern was whether the Prime Minister knowingly approved a doctor despite concerns raised in the advice, and whether…
Philipsburg, Sint Maarten – Member of Parliament Omar Ottley is calling on government to stop delaying meaningful relief for the people of Sint Maarten and immediately utilize the legal mechanisms already available to regulate electricity tariffs and fuel costs as done in Curacao. Recent announcements by Minister Grisha Heyliger-Marten concerning the signing of a Ministerial Decree to appoint BTP under the Electricity Ordinance and announcement to use an national ordinance containing general measures as the instrument to regulate the new tariff have been presented as progress toward electricity reform. However, MP Ottley warns that this approach may take another year…
By Hilbert Haar One may well wonder how anyone is able to, according to utilities company NV GEBE, run up payment arrears of 15,000 guilders on the consumption of electricity. One may also wonder how it is possible that GEBE is invoicing some clients two to three times for the same period. Another question is why GEBE is not handling this situation in a more mature way. Clients who are waiting for a letter that says something like ”sorry, we made a mistake” can wait a very long time. Such letters will never arrive. I think it is fair to…
PHILIPSBURG — Utilities company NV GEBE has sent out letters to several clients, reminding them of outstanding invoices. The letter, dated May 19, gives GEBE-clients seven days to pay, otherwise the company threatens to take measures, like disconnecting those who do not comply. The dunning letter begins with “valued customer” and is only signed with “Yours truly, NV GEBE.” In some letters, GEBE claims payment arrears of more than 1,900 guilders ($1,061). One client said that he or she sent proof of payment to GEBE, showing double and at times even triple billing for the same period, without getting a…
